Across this Antheap
"Across this Antheap" is a song by Andy Partridge. It appeared on the 1989 album Oranges & Lemons. The original demo for Skylarking, "Across the Antheap," and the Oranges & Lemons demo, "Across this Antheap," appeared on Andy's Fuzzy Warbles Volume 6 in 2004. Quotes Andy: “This song's been around for awhile. It started out bluesy and swampy but the music didn't fit the lyrics. It's a list song, listing what humans do. There's a relentlessness about it, of people swarming everywhere.” Andy (on the Skylarking demo): “This Dark and swampy reading found no favour with Skylarking's man at the helm, Todd Rundgren. To be honest I couldn't see it fitting in with his pastoral vision either, and, well, it felt half born. The swamp/redskin chug didn't quite suit it and really its time wasn't right. So it went back on the shelf until...” Andy (on the Oranges & Lemons demo): “...the ‘the’ became ‘this’ it was an album later. A more propulsive latinesque rhythm was found, an intro and middle section built and lyrics were stacked better. Please just don't ask me the chords, all I can remember is it's in open E tuning and yes doing the mouth trumpet was lots of fun, though more Dana Gillespie than Dizzy.” Lyrics ''Soldiers, workers, slaves and farmers, ''Nurses, queens and drones ''Wish they'd leave my head tonight, ''Let me rest my bones ''(Ziggedy zig zag just look at 'em ''Ziggedy zag, hey hey) ''A billion feet sound just like a billion drums ''A bed is creaking as the messiah comes ''The cars are crashing and the bacon is hacked ''The coffin's lowered and the lunches get packed ''Still segregating 'cause we insects are too proud ''Doesn't matter what colour of cat you are there's no dogs allowed ''And the screaming sky won't let me sleep ''The stars are laughing at us, ''As we crawl on and on across this antheap ''War planes go over but no wages go 'round ''A sign goes up to say hey we're twin towned ''The dough is rising but no bread will be baked ''The fur is genuine but the orgasm's faked ''We're spending millions to learn to speak porpoise, ''When human loneliness is still a deafening noise ''And the screaming sky won't let me sleep ''The stars are laughing at us, ''As we crawl on and on across this antheap ''Soldiers, workers, slaves and farmers, ''Nurses, queens and drones ''Wish they'd leave my head tonight, ''And let me rest my bones ''And all the world's babies are crying still ''While all the police cars harmonize with power drills ''As jets and kettles form a chord with screeching gulls ''Accompanied by truncheons keeping time on human skulls ''And the screaming sky won't let me sleep ''The stars are laughing at us, ''As we crawl on and on past lovers who'll leap ''On and on past widows who'll weep ''On and on no more than skin deep ''On and on across this antheap Category:Discography Category:Songs by Andy Partridge